Premium
Performance Evaluation of a Marshland Upwelling System for the Removal of Fecal Coliform Bacteria from Domestic Wastewater
Author(s) -
Watson Robert E.,
Rusch Kelly A.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
water environment research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.356
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1554-7531
pISSN - 1061-4303
DOI - 10.2175/106143001x139362
Subject(s) - effluent , fecal coliform , wastewater , environmental science , sewage treatment , coliform bacteria , environmental engineering , hydraulic retention time , marsh , upwelling , zoology , veterinary medicine , pulp and paper industry , hydrology (agriculture) , environmental chemistry , biology , chemistry , ecology , bacteria , wetland , water quality , medicine , geology , genetics , geotechnical engineering , engineering
The Marshland Upwelling System (MUS), a potential alternative wastewater treatment strategy for coastal dwellings, was examined to assess its ability to remove fecal coliforms (FC) from domestic wastewater as a step towards total treatment. Wastewater was intermittently injected down a 4.6‐m injection well into the surrounding salt marsh. Optimal performance was achieved at an injection flowrate of 1.9 L/min and injection frequency of 30 minutes every 3 hours. Average influent concentrations of 930 000 ± 650 000 colonies / 100 mL were reduced to effluent counts of 4.6 colonies / 100 mL . Coliform removal followed exponential decay versus vector distance traveled with predicted surface concentrations less than or equal to 0.1 colony / 100 mL . Hydraulic performance was acceptable with no significant reductions in permeability observed. Increasing flows to 3.8 L/min produced localized hydraulic dysfunction as indicated by sudden increases in effluent bacterial counts and injection pressures. Although fecal coliform removal typically decreased with increasing injection flowrates and isolated instances of abnormally high effluent counts were observed the MUS never experienced a catastrophic failure during the 13‐month evaluation period.